Southern Province Minister Cornelius Mweetwa has directed the Provincial Education Officer to revise the report sent to the Teaching Service Commission on teachers’ recruitment.
Mr. Mweetwa said that the education office in the province never involved the stakeholders in the recruitment process as directed by Cabinet circular number 10 of 2022 on recruitment of over 11,000 health workers and 30,000 teachers.
He said that the Cabinet circular directed that stakeholders such as District Commissioners, officers from the Office of the President Special Division, Anti-Corruption Commission, and Drug Enforcement Commission be involved in the recruitments so that the process can be transparent.
Mr. Mweetwa was speaking in Choma today when he held an emergency senior management meeting that included stakeholders in the provincial human resources management committee.
He regretted that even the provincial administration was sidelined especially in the teachers’ recruitment process.
He wondered whether local people were considered in the process, adding that the list must be withdrawn before further action by the Teaching Service Commission.
Mr. Mweetwa, who is also Choma Central Member of Parliament, says it will be embarrassing for him to start answering questions from the local people if the list of recruited teachers is published without names of the local people.
The minister said District Commissioners, Council Chairperson and Mayors, including security agencies, confirmed to him that they were not involved in the process.
He has further directed that all heads of government departments in the province should involve the provincial administration in every activity.
Meanwhile, Solwezi East member of Parliament Dr. Alex Katakwe has called for the immediate reinstatement of 280 would-be teachers that he says have been removed from the 620 that were initially selected by the Human Resource Management Committee
Dr Katakwe said this happened after receiving verbal instructions from officials from the Teaching Service Commission to reserve 280 slots purportedly for their relatives coming from other provinces.
The area member of Parliament contends that Mushindamo District was allocated 620 slots and wondered why someone at the Teaching Service Commission should decide to disadvantage the locals and recommend that only 340 teachers should be selected from the locals and 280 should come from somewhere else.
He said the decision is unfair especially that the District as met the allocated number.
The MP said he was not going allow what he called injustice to happen.
This is good move. Clean up the whole process before names are published. Cage all those who will be found wanting.
This New Dawn employment recruitment process will only be fair and transparent if and only when their politically charged DCs, PSs and Mayors are involved in this.
What was the functions of the TSC in the first place?
It is only Jobs for upnd cadres, tongas and anyone from a upnd strong hold province e.g. Western province. If you don’t believe me go and check names of those who have been employed so far
This will not look well in the long run for this govt…so Mweetwa wants names of locals on that list I mean any Zambian can apply in any province. Again we are seeing here that if your MP puts some pressure into anything something we be done about it …just look at the pending issues like Forest 27 where the govt is dragging its feet. I know understand why HH7 never appointed Mweetwa as Minster of Information.
What is UPND going to do if every MP starts complaining about lack of local names …all this is against what HH7 has been stating in his speeches!!
Well, it’s a change of course, after TEN YEARS of PF corruption!
Looks like running on corruption allegations was just a political gimmick. Not one conviction after one year and now this. Failed promises sounds like KKs warning. Lies in the morning, lies in the afternoon and lies at night.
It is only Jobs for upnd cadres, ???
IMP0STER WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE PATRIOTIC F00LLS TO TEACH OUR CHILDREN ??
NO WAY !! THE CHILDREN ARE OUR FURURE
We’ve work to do at the gardens.Only those on the list will be recognised as workers.Is my child’s name visible ,otherwise he might miss……………………
I am afraid these are undercurrents of tribalism. Mweetwa has been placed in SP because he’s tribal loose cannon.
What exactly is your problem Mr Mweetwa? When you say they are not enough local people on the list, are you talking about people who have surnames that come from the Choma? The Choma district is in Zambia which means they will be people who have Eastern, Northern, Western & Southern surnames. I am very pro UPND. But sorry, this is initialising tribalism, the very thing we have condemned PF in the past. And by the way – is the recruitment being done by qualifications or depending on the surname you have. What if the local people you are crying about have the least qualifications. If procedures were not followed, to engage the Anti Corruption Commission & District Commissioners in the process, then you guys in UPND Government are failing the nation. So pull your socks up.
kambwili and GMW told U ba swine imwe..Just wait You will understand soon Ba koswe imwe
What he means is there can not be a system where there are unemployed teachers in a town , while teachers are being employed from else where…….
Same with the CDF money……….GRZ is no record to prioritise local companies
How can you emply teachers in CB from other regions while the local teachers in CB are unemployed ????
……..GRZ on record to prioritise local companies
Just when the breath of fresh air is expected to breeze into the room someone fouls the air! Deep rooted corruption coupled with years of frozen employment opportunities where only public service is the largest employer leads to denting well meaning programs. Every Zambian irrespective of ethnicity is a local to the area they are residing in across the breadth of the Zambian nation! Mweetwa must clarify what he means and explain the incompetences the process revealed and let consequences be meted!
Did the MP confirm or consult the DEBS over this matter? Or it’s just hear-say from the streets or from Chibuku drinkers?. He says “I am reliably informed”. Informed by who? How reliable was the information? By UPND cadres? Then he goes to town escalating the whole thing up to the PS and investigative wings. Mushindamo district does not even have 500 unemployed teachers. It’s still a bush. Most of the teachers will come from Solwezi and others districts. So let’s look at that also.
One zambia, one nation…..it was not stipulated that we are to apply in our district only, you can apply to any district of your choice as long as you have only applied to one district….the mp must not waste our time
This is what is actually the true situation where certain people are concerned. Why haven’t we had the same complaints from Luapula, Northern, Muchinga, Eastern, Copperbelt and Central provinces. In these places we have Tongas and affiliated tribesmen who have found themselves in these places… are we going to stop them from applying… emphatically NO… they’re Zambians and the recruitment is for Zambians.
“There is tribalism in Zambia. The process is transparent with no interference from govt officials.”
I am crying as I write the above comment. Because I know deep down that I am lying.
I meant to say “There is NO tribalism in Zambia”
ThIs is a tip of an iceberg. One of the guidelines was who should be involved in the selection process. Why the failure to abide to it in southern province?
Why should tsc demand resrelation of positions in North western province ?
Mweetwa just like UPND is always on point, very different from people like ka Kaizar
Absolutely nothing wrong with ensuring fairness in recruitments. Everyone is a local person in a district. Learn from history and don’t pretend that a ratio of 7000 to 300 is fair. The people who did this are still holding their positions.
@Deja vu: reason why other CB/Northern/Luapula & Muchinga provinces we dont have such complaints is that: in these provinces, people there they eat corruption. Meaning, they will see it & they will support it-just look at where all the crooks we ve had in Zambia come from-its these regions you just mentioned. Therefore, its up to them also to take responsibility of the future of their children or sell that future for a few coins,
#24 I we cheekala ikalafye. I don’t talk to tribal bigots.
It neither makes no sense to have a district full of teachers and nurses from other districts when local trained teachers and nurses have not be employed for years. That what happened under PF – relatives and cronies were employed all over the country without due regard for others in those areas. That is being corrected today and protest will, as expected from PF who are still employed under a civilised party – UPND.
That’s what we told you Zambia’s he is not fighting for anything but Tonga names to be on the list
Subtle moves to regionalism and tribalism, are visibly hanging over our integrated Mother Zambia.
One Zambia, one nation risks to remain a mere slogan.
I am child of two tribes and my parents met in a province not of their origin.
Given the Mwetwa scenario, where di deserve a piace as a newly qualified ?